Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) the North East and (c) England were entitled to receive free school meals in each of the last seven years.

Figures on the proportion of children eligible for free school meals are published annually for all authorities and regions in England. The figures can be found in the statistical first releases, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.